9MMMMIMNNN 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


This  imae  of  BACCHUS  was  carved  in 


THE 


STORY  OF  BACCHUS, 


CENTENNIAL  SOUVENIR. 


BRIGHAM    PAYNE. 

What  though  no  tower  its  ruined  form  uprears, 

Nor  blazoned  heraldry,  nor  pictured  hall, 
Awake  the  '  memories  of  a  thousand  years  ;  ' 

Yet  may  we  many  a  glorious  scene  recall, 
And  deeds  long  cherished  in  the  hearts  of  all 

Who  hail  thee  mother  ;  yet  from  mountain  gray 
And  forest  green  primeval  shadows  fall 

O'er  lake  and  plain.     The  journeying  stars  survey 
No  lovelier  realm  than  thine,  free-born  Hesperia  ! 

GEOHGE  H.  COLT< 

itj)  Illustrations. 


HARTFORD,  CONN.  : 

PUBLISHED    BY  A.   E.    BROOKS. 

1876. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1876,  by 

A.  E.  BROOKS, 
in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


THE  CASK,  LOCKWOOD  &  BRAINARD  Co. 
HARTFORD,  CONN. 


F 


MY   FRIEND, 


THE   FAITHFUL   CUSTODIAN   OF  THE   BACCHUS   IMAGE, 

THIS  WORK   IS  INSCRIBED, 
AS  A   SLIGHT   TOKEN   OF   HIS  ACKNOWLEDGED   WORTH, 

AND   A    DESIRE   TO 
CONTINUE   A    LONG   EXISTING    FRIENDSHIP, 

BY 

THE    AUTHOR. 


602205 

LIBRARY 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

THE  STORY  OF  BACCHUS, 7-34 

THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS, 37~59 

THE  WINDHAM  FROGS,     .        .    .    .        .        .        .  60-63 

THE  FROGS  OF  WINDHAM  (Poem),        .     •  .        .  64-70 

THE  FROG  BATTLE,           .        ....        .  71-77 

BULL-FROG  SONG,      . 77-83 

THE  BULL-FROG  FIGHT  (Poem),     .        .        .        1  84-91 

THE  CENTENNIAL  EXHIBITION  BUILDINGS,    .        .  95-111 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE. 
THE   BACCHUS  IMAGE,       .        .        .        .        .    Frontispiece. 

WINDHAM  FROGS  BEFORE  THE  BATTLE,         .         Facing  37 

AFTER  THE  BATTLE, "71 

MAIN  EXHIBITION  BUILDING,           ....  98 

MACHINERY  HALL 101 

MEMORIAL  HALL, 104 

HORTICULTURAL  HALL, 107 

AGRICULTURAL  BUILDING, no 


THE  STORY  OF  BACCHUS. 

BY    BRIGHAM    PAYNE. 

N  ' 

• 

/n  HE  war  waged  a  century  ago  for  the 
independence  of  the  American  Colo- 
nies, was  beyond  all  question  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  contests  in  the  history  of 
the  world.  It  was  remarkable  in  that  it 
was  a  contest  of  a  few  comparatively  feeble 
colonies  against  the  strongest  nation  of  the 
earth ;  it  was  remarkable  in  that  it  brought 
to  the  surface  men,  else  unknown,  previous- 
ly unheard  of,  who  proved  to  be  heroes, 
and  whose  names  still  live  and  will  live 
while  the  world  stands ;  it  was  remarkable 
for  the  number  of  its  hard-fought  battles 
and  their  results ;  it  was  remarkable  for  the 
vigor,  enthusiasm,  endurance,  and  patriot- 
ism of  the  colonists ;  and  it  was  most 


THE    STORY    OF    BACCHUS. 


remarkable  of  all  in  its  final  termination — 
that  termination  being,  as  all  the  world 
knows,  the  complete  vanquishment  of  the 
British  armies,  and  the  complete  indepen- 
dence of  America.  Of  the  marvelous  re- 
sults which  followed,  which  still  exist,  and 
which  are,  by  the  blessing  of  Providence, 
to  continue,  it  is  not  necessary  here  to 
speak  at  any  length.  The  little  colonies 
have,  in  a  century,  grown  to  be  a  country 
which  leads  the  van  of  nations;  the  flag, 
once  despised,  is  respected  wherever  on 
earth  it  floats ;  the  sails,  once  few  in  num- 
ber, now  gleam  on  all  waters;  its  com- 
mercial interests,  once  so  feeble,  are  now 
surpassed  by  none;  it  has  given  to  the 
world  the  most  remarkable  and  useful  in- 
ventions ;  and  the  names  of  its  great  and 
honored  sons  are  household  words. 

While  this  great  contest  was  one  of  the 
most   remarkable,  it  was  also  one  of  the 


THE    STORY    OF    BACCHUS. 


most  romantic  and  historically  picturesque 
in  the  world's  record.  Its  whole  narrative 
is  crowded  with  romance.  What  more 
romantic  than  the  midnight  ride  of  Paul 
Revere,  starting  from  the  shore  opposite 
Boston,  at  the  gleam  of  the  signal  light  in 
the  tower  of  the  old  South  Church,  and 
dashing  through  village  streets,  across 
rural  lanes,  over  deserted  highways,  sound- 
ing every  where  the  note  of  alarm,  and 
rousing  the  country  people  to  arm  for  the 
approaching  fray  ?  What  more  wildly  roman- 
tic and  picturesque  than  the  escape  of 
General  Putnam  from  the  pursuing  British 
dragoons,  by  dashing  down  the  rocky  slope 
at  Greenwich,  in  this  instance  "  daring  to 
lead  where  none  dared  to  follow  "  ?  What 
more  grandly  romantic  and  picturesque 
than  Washington's  passage  across  the  Dela- 
ware, in  the  darkness  of  night,  among  the 
floating  blocks  and  floes  of  ice  ?  What  more 


THE    STORY    OF    BACCHUS. 


touchingly  and  sadly  romantic,  than  the 
story  of  Capt.  Nathan  Hale,  the  "  Martyr 
Spy,"  the  immortal  words  of  whose  dying 
message  to  his  compatriots — "  I  only  regret 
that  I  have  but  one  life  to  lose  for  my 
country," — were  the  conception  of  the 
purest  patriotism  arid  stiblimest  devotion  to 
country  which  the  world  ever  saw, — or  that 
of  John  Andre,  the  heroic  young  British 
officer,  whose  early  death  was  demanded 
by  the  stern  necessities  of  war,  while  it  was 
lamented  by  those  who  could  not  but  ap- 
prove its  justice. 

The  whole  history  of  the  memorable 
struggle  is  full  of  romance,  and  there  can 
not  but  be  much  that  history  has  not  re- 
corded. Much  of  this  romance  lives  only 
by  tradition,  but  of  some  there  remain  visi- 
ble and  tangible  tokens.  We  have  still,  in  a 
sense  public  property,  the  old  South  Church 
in  whose  tower  the  warning  lanterns  were 


THE    STORY    OF    BACCHUS. 


hung;  and  the  old  bell  at  Philadelphia, 
upon  which  the  hands  of  age,  at  the  bidding 
of  the  voice  of  youth,  rang  out  the  signal 
of  the  adoption  of  the  Declaration;  and 
there  are  here  and  there  preserved  among 
our  countrymen,  emblems  not  public, — 
swords  which  have  a  history;  muskets 
about  which  cling  some  romantic  tale; 
portions  of  uniforms,  bullet-pierced  and 
blood-stained  perhaps ;  fragments  -of  shell, 
each  and  all  of  which  have  their  story. 
And  it  is  to  one  of  these  visible  and  tangi- 
ble emblems  of  the  romance  of  the  Revolu- 
tion that  we  wish  to  draw  attention  in  this 
article,  sketching  briefly  its  strange  origin 
and  curious  history,  from  the  authentic  and 
reliable  data  which  close  research  and 
patient  injury  have  brought  to  light. 

Few  residents  of  the  goodly  city  of 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  and  few  strangers 
passing  through  its  principal  thoroughfare, 


THE    STORY   OF    BACCHUS. 


have  failed  to  notice  in  the  window  of  Mr. 
A.  E.  Brooks'  place  of  business,  a  quaint 
and  curious  figure  carved  in  wood.  It  is 
the  image  of  Bacchus,  the  jovial  god  of 
wine ;  naked,  fat,  chubby,  and  seated  astride 
a  cask,  holding  in  front  and  resting  on  the 
cask  a  basket  of  fruits, — grapes,  lemons, 
pears  and  plums,  being  among  the  varieties. 
Grape  leaves  cover  the  crown  and  back  of 
the  head,  and  the  hair  is  composed  of 
clusters  of  grapes.  The  figure  is  painted 
a  buff  or  flesh  color,  the  eyes  are  black,  the 
basket  brown,  the  fruit  of  its  appropriate 
natural  color,  and  the  cask  is  of  a  dark  red, 
with  black  hoops.  The  face  of  the  image 
is  striking  in  its  expression,  and  the  whole 
figure,  in  view  of  the  rude  tools  with  which 
it  was  carved,  is  remarkably  life-like  and 
artistic.  There  are  dimples  in  the  cheeks  and 
chin,  a  roguish  look  in  the  eyes,  and  a  jovial 
half-smile  on  the  parted  lips.  One  arm 


THE   STORY   OF    BACCHUS.  13 

half-encircles  the  basket,  and  the  hand  of 
the  other  arm  rests  upon  the  fruit.  The 
image  is  twenty-six  and  one-half  inches  high, 
and  the  keg  is  twenty-one  inches  long. 
The  whole  is  cut  from  a  solid  log  of  pine, 
and  was  supposed  to  be  all  in  one  piece 
until  a  few  years  ago,  when  Mr.  Brooks, 
the  owner,  had  the  keg  bored  at  each  end 
in  order  to  introduce  faucets,  and  found 
that  three  hoops  at  the  front  of  the  keg  and 
two  at  the  back  had  been  added  to  the 
block,  which  otherwise  is  entirely  solid. 
Well,  this  quaint  and  curious  figure  is  an 
emblem  of  Revolutionary  romance,  and  has 
its  strange  and  eventful  history.  In  the 
year  1776,  on  the  loth  of  June,  there  was 
captured  by  the  Americans  in  Long  Island 
Sound,  a  British  ship,  the  "  Bombrig." 
Among  the  prisoners  there  taken,  were 
four  of  special  interest  in  this  sketch. 


14  THE    STORY    OF    BACCHUS. 

The  first,  Edward  Sneyd,  was  the  com- 
mander of  the  ship,  and  was  born  in  the 
village  of  Hadlow,  in  Kent  county,  Eng- 
land, in  July,  1740,  On  the  I4th  of 

| 

November,  1754,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  he 
joined  H.  M.  S.  "  Belvidere,"  at  Plymouth, 
England,  as  a  midshipman,  and  served  in 
this  vessel  for  four  years  on  the  China 
station.  On  his  return  to  England  he  was 
drafted  to  H.  M.  S.  "  Hannibal,"  the  hulk 
of  which  now  lies  in  Plymouth  harbor,  and 
having  served  in  this  ship  for  three  years, 
on  the  Spanish  coast  mainly,  was  again 
drafted  to  H.  M.  S.  "Asia,"  in  which  vessel 
he  distinguished  himself,  and  was  promo- 
ted to  be  sub-lieutenant,  and  afterwards 
lieutenant.  After  serving  in  these  capaci- 
ties on  board  several  of  the  royal  ships, 
he  was  appointed  commander  of  H.  M. 
S.  "  Bombrig,"  which  was  commissioned 
at  Portsmouth,  in  the  month  of  Decem- 


THE    STORY   OF    BACCHUS.  15 

!775>  and  after  cruising  about  a 
short  time  on  particular  service  was  dis- 
patched to  the  American  coast,  where 
the  commander  is  said  to  have  distin- 
guished himself  until  the  capture  of  his 
vessel  as  above  set  forth. 

The  second  person,  John  Coggin,  boat- 
swain of  the  "  Bombrig,"  was  born  of  Irish 
parents  at  Killegan,  County  of  Meath,  Ire- 
land, in  March,  1731,  and  was,  on  entering 
the  royal  navy  at  Portsmouth  in  July, 
1750,  described  as  a  farm  laborer.  He 
served  in  several  of  His  Majesty's  ships 
with  such  fidelity  that  he  rose  to  the  rank 
of  boatswain  and  as  such  joined  the  "  Bom- 
brig"  under  the  command  of  Sneyd,  with 
whom  he  had  before  sailed. 

The  third,  John  Russell,  was  born  of 
English  parents  near  Ramsey,  Hampshire, 
England,  in  November,  1749,  and  was 
apprenticed  to  a  carpenter,  and  having 


1 6  THE   STORY   OF    BACCHUS. 

served  his  full  time,  entered  the  dock- 
yard at  Portsmouth,  in  April,  1772,  where 
he  remained  until  the  Bombrig  was  com- 
missioned at  that*  port,  and  then  joined 
the  carpenter's  crew  of  the  ship,  proceed- 
ing to  America  as  before  related.  A  fine 
figure-head  was  in  those  days  the  sine  qua 
non  of  a  vessel,  and  a  ship's  carpenter 
must  have  been  practiced  in  the  art  of 
designing  and  carving  such  work,  to  have 
been  considered  qualified  for  the  position, 
and  as  Russell  had  served  a  full-time  ap- 
prenticeship, it  is  to  him,  undoubtedly,  to 
whom  the  credit  of  this  production — the 
statue  of  Bacchus — is  mainly  due. 

The  fourth  and  last  man  was  William 
Cook,  who  was  born  in  March,  1744,  near 
Great  Yarmouth,  England.  He  joined 
the  royal  navy  at  Chatham,  Kent,  in  1771, 
and  having  served  a  full  commission  of 
four  years  on  board  H.  M.  S.  "Cocka- 


THE    STORY   OF    BACCHUS.  17 

trice,"  on  the  China  Station,  was  drafted 
to  Portsmouth,  to  join  the  "  Bombrig,"  as 
an  able-bodied  seaman,  and  with  her  came 
to  America.  These  four  men,  as  has  been 
said,  were  among  the  prisoners  taken  when 
the  "Bombrig"  was  captured.  Of  the  fate 
of  the  other  prisoners  taken  at  the  same 
time  nothing  is  known,  but  these  four  were 
taken  to  old  Windham,  (famous  in  history, 
as  the  scene  of  that  marvelous  "  Battle  of 
the  Frogs,")  and  were  confined  there  in 
Windham  jail.  There  they  lay  in  durance 
through  weary  months.  Strangers  in  a 
strange  land,  they '  were  yet  not  wholly 
friendless,  for  the  ever-tender  heart  of 
woman  took  pity  on  their  captive  condi- 
tion, and  extended  to  them  tokens  of  kind- 
ness and  sympathy.  The  Widow  Carey, 
the  landlady  of  the  tavern  on  Windham 
Green,  had  compassion  on  the  lonely 
prisoners,  and  her  heart  went  out  to  them 


l8  THE   STORY   OF    BACCHUS. 

in  kind  words  and  her  hands  with  tempo- 
ral favors. 

Who  the  Widow  Carey  was  we  know 
not,  but  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  her  heart 
was  as  big  as  the  capacious  fire-place 
which  yawned  in  her  inn,  and  as  warm  as 
the  fires  which  glowed  therein.  It  is  like- 
wise tolerably  safe  to  assume  that  the 
feelings  of  the  Widow  Carey  toward  the 
prisoners,  were  those  of  pity  rather  than 
affection,  for  we  know  that  the  widow 
married  none  of  them,  but  became  after- 
wards Mrs.  John  Fitch.  Possibly  however 
the  somewhat  hasty  departure  which  the 
prisoners  afterward  took,  nipped  in  the 
bud  a  growing  sentiment  which  might 
have  blossomed  into  a  matrimonial  alliance 
between  the  commander  and  the  widow. 
Be  all  that  as  it  may,  two  things  are 
certain,  one  that  the  widow  was  kind  to 
the  prisoners,  and  the  other  that  the 


THE    STORY    OF    BACCHUS. 


prisoners  were  grateful  to  the  widow. 
And  to  show  their  gratitude  and  appre- 
ciation of  their  friend  in  a  tangible  form, 
they,  with  nothing  but  their  jack-knives 
for  tools,  carved  out  that  quaint  and  curi- 
ous figure,  concerning  which  this  sketch  is 
written,  and  presented  it  to  their  benefac- 
tress, who  put  it  up  as  a  sign  in  front  of 
her  inn.  What  there  was  in  their  situa- 
tion and  circumstances  to  suggest  to  those 
captives  a  figure  of  Bacchus,  does  not 
appear.  The  reason  for  the  generally 
stout,  English  look  about  the  figure  is 
evident  enough,  when  the  nationality  of 
the  makers  is  considered,  but  why  the 
jovial  god  of  the  vine  should  suggest  him- 
self to  them  is  not  so  evident.  Was  it  by 
force  of  contrast,  as  parched  travelers  in 
the  desert  deceive  themselves  with  illu- 
sions of  flowing  streams  and  placid  lakes, 
and  as  starving  men  dream  of  groaning 


!0 


THE   STORY   OF    BACCHUS. 


tables  of  luxurious  viands?  or  were  they  so 
well  treated  by  their  captors  that  Bacchus 
himself,  figuratively  speaking,  was  some- 
times allowed  in  their  company?  or  did 
they,  simply  knowing  the  Widow  Carey's 
occupation,  design  it  as  the  most  appropri- 
ate gift  for  her.  Whatever  their  views, 
they  wrought  well  what  they  set  themselves 
to  do,  and  made  for  their  benefactress  a 
very  neat,  expressive,  and  appropriate  gift. 
Little  they  dreamed  then,  as  they  wrought 
upon  it,  that  the  war,  in  the  fortunes  of 
which  they  had  early  fallen  captive,  would 
result  in  the  defeat  of  their  nation,  that  the 
colony  within  whose  borders  they  were 
confined  would  become  one  of  the  states 
of  a  great  republic,  and  that  the  image 
which  they  carved  would  be  kept  for  a 
century,  and  attract  the  curious  attention 
of  thousands  of  people,  and  that  because 
of  their  work,  their  names,  and  histories 


THE    STORY    OF    BACCHUS. 


would  be  searched  out,  recorded,  and  re- 
membered, where  otherwise  they  would 
have  been  "unknown  and  unnoticed." 

But  whatever  their  thoughts,  the  image 
was  completed  and  presented  to  their  ben- 
efactress. Evidently  the  captives  sighed 
for  freedom,  for  in  a  brief  time,  less  than 
six  months  after  their  imprisonment,  they 
managed  to  escape  from  the  jail  and  made 
their  way  toward  Norwich,  where  they 
secured  a  boat,  and  true  to  their  national 
instincts,  and  for  which,  perhaps,  they  have 
not  received  sufficient  credit  from  their 
countrymen,  endeavored  to  escape  to  Long 
Island  and  rejoin  the  British  forces. 

Poor  fellows !  their  earthly  freedom  was 
of  short  duration !  on  the  Sound,  their  boat 
was  overset,  and  all  except  Coggin  were 
drowned,  and  he  was  recaptured.  In  the 
Connecticut  Gazette,  Vol.  XIX,  No.  68 1, 
published  at  New  London,  on  Friday, 


22  THE    STORY    OF    BACCHUS. 

November  29th,  1776,  appears  the  follow- 
ing paragraph: 

"  Tuesday  night  last,  one  John  Coggin, 
late  boatswain  of  the  '  Bombrig,'  (who 
with  the  three  other  prisoners  lately  broke 
out  of  Windham  jail),  was  found  on  board 
a  brig  in  this  harbor.  He  gives  the  follow- 
ing account  of  said  prisoners,  viz :  that  the 
night  after  breaking  out  of  jail,  they,  with 
the  help  of  one  Lewis,  who  was  taken  in  a 
prize  vessel,  [which  was  captured  in  New 
York  harbor  by  a  party  under  command  of 
Capt.  Nathan  Hale,  early  in  June,  1776; 
the  vessel,  or  sloop  which  it  properly  was, 
lay  near  the  New  Jersey  shore,  and  was 
under  the  protection  at  the  time,  of  the 
sixty-four  guns  of  the  British  war  ship 
"Asia,"  in  which  Commander  Sneyd  is 
herein  mentioned  as  having  previously 
sailed],  stole  a  canoe  near  Norwich  landing, 
with  which  they  attempted  to  cross  the 


THE    STORY   OF    BACCHUS.  23 

Sound  to  Long  Island,  but  at  the  entrance 
of  the  Race,  near  Gull  Island,  the  canoe 
overset,  when  all  of  them  except  Coggin 
were  drowned.  Their  names  are  Edward 
Sneyd,  (late  commander  of  the  Bombrig,) 
William  Cook,  John  Russell,  and — Lewis." 
It  is  to  be  presumed  that  Coggin's  story 
was  true,  and  that  his  comrades  perished  as 
disclosed,  although  he  might  possibly  have 
invented  the  tale  for  the  sake  of  ending  a 
search  after  his  companions,  and  throwing 
their  pursuers  off  the  track.  But  inas- 
much as  the  official  records  of  the  British 
government,  from  which  the  previous 
sketch  of  the  lives  of  these  men  was  com- 
piled, say  that  nothing  has  been  heard  of 
the  prisoners  since  the  capture  of  their 
vessel  in  June,  1776,  it  is  possible  that  they 
were  drowned  as  reported  by  Coggin,  and 
that  they  did  not  rejoin  the  British  as 
some  accounts  say,  the  more  so  as  Sneyd 


24  THE   STORY   OF    BACCHUS. 

was  an  officer  of  ability  and  of  high  rank, 
and  would  have  been  certain  to  have  re- 
joined the  navy  or  been  afterward  heard  of, 
if  alive. 

But  while  the  men  died  their  work 
survived.  The  quaint  figure  of  Bacchus, 
carved  by  the  prisoners  and  by  them  pre- 
sented to  Widow  Carey,  remained  as  a 
sign  in  front  of  her  tavern  on  Windham 
Green  until,  as  before  stated,  she  married 
Mr.  John  Fitch,  when  it  was  removed  to 
the  "old  Fitch  tavern."  It  was  afterward, 
in  1827,  sold  by  the  heirs  of  Mr.  Fitch,  to 
Lucius  Abbee,  the  landlord  of  the  Stam- 
ford House,  and  was  then  enthroned  on 
the  branch  of  an  old  elm  hard  by.  In 
1840  it  passed  into  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Zaphney  Curtis,  and  remained  in  the 
family  until  1856,  when  a  cloud  dimmed 
the  sunshine  of  its  prosperity.  The  Sep- 
tember gale  blew  it  from  its  elevated 


THE    STORY    OF    BACCHUS.  25 

position  on  the  great  elm  to  the  ground, 
the  fall  breaking  one  of  its  arms  and  other- 
wise injuring  it.  That  fall  came  near  end- 
ing Bacchus'  days.  He  was  put,  not  into 
the  hospital  as  he  deserved,  but  into  the 
wood-house,  and  for  three  years  lay  in  dust 
and  gloom,  and  doubtless  ere  this  would 
have  been  used  for  firewood,  had  not  he 
been  spied  out  by  sons  of  Mr.  William 
Cummings,  who  begged  their  father  to 
purchase  it.  The  negotiations  were  not 
protracted,  and  for  the  pitiful,  paltry  sum 
of  twenty-five  cents,  poor  Bacchus  was 
purchased.  This  was  the  hardest  of  all, 
but  the  adage  that  "  the  darkest  hours 
come  just  before  dawn,"  was  true  in  his 
case.  His  transfer  for  a  paltry  quarter,  was 
the  turning  point  in  his  career.  There- 
after came  brighter  days.  The  figure  was 
taken  to  Willimantic,  was  repaired  by  M. 
S.  Bowdish,  and  painted  first  by  Charles 


26  THE   STORY   OF    BACCHUS. 

Lillie,  and  afterward  by  George  Bottom, 
who  put  it  into  its  present  shape.  It  was 
purchased  of  Mr.  Cummings  by  its  present 
owner  in  1859,  was  taken  to  New  York  for 
a  few  weeks  in  1 864,  to  be  gazed  at  by  the 
denizens  of  the  metropolis,  and  was  brought 
to  Hartford  in  1872.  For  two  years — 1862 
and  1863 — it  stood  upon  a  bar,  while  ale 
was  drawn  from  a  faucet  at  one  end  of  the 
keg,  and  porter  from  a  faucet  at  the  other 
end,  people  coming  long  distances  to  quaff 
a  brimming  draught  from  Bacchus'  keg, 
and  through  historical  wood.  Since  then 
its  duty  has  been  ornamental,  rather  than 
useful. 

There  are  many  anecdotes  related  of 
Bacchus,  but  this  sketch  would  become 
too  extended  were  it  to  include  more  than 
two  or  three,  which  belong  to  its  different 
situations,  and  which  refer  to  its  own 
identity  exclusively.  While  ensconced  in 


THE    STORY    OF    BACCHUS.  27 

the  big  elm  tree  in  front  of  Mr.  Zaphney 
Curtis'  tavern,  some  wag  is  said  to  have 
inserted  a  clay  pipe  into  one  corner  of  its 
mouth,  which  became  a  target  for  the  boys 
of  the  village  to  stone.  This  proceeding 
Mr.  Curtis  used  to  resent  in  a  most  deter- 
mined and  warlike  spirit,  and  sometimes 
to  the  discomfiture  of  his  assailants. 

A  lady  seeing  it  on  board  the  train,  the 
head  only  being  visible,  on  its  return  from 
New  York  City,  in  1864,  supposing  it  to 
be  a  living  dwarf,  or  malformation,  became 
quite  excited  over  its  presence,  and  indig- 
nant that  it  was  allowed  to  occupy  a  place 
in  a  public  conveyance.  But  her  pacifica- 
tion was  complete  when  the  image  and  its 
history  were  politely  explained  to  her  by 
the  gentleman  in  charge,  and  she  acknowl- 
edged the  surrender  with  the  classical  ex- 
pression, oh,  my! 

An    old    woman   leaning   upon  a  cane, 


28  THE   STORY   OF    BACCHUS. 

passing  leisurely  up  the  street  one  day, 
by  the  window  where  Bacchus  may  be 
seen,  stopped  before  the  image  and  ex- 
claimed, "Why,  that  is  Bacchus ;  I  have  not 
seen  him  for  years  and  years."  She  was 
unknown  to  those  standing  by.  and  it  was 
supposed  that  she  had  known  the  work  in 
her  early  life,  and  was  happy  to  once  more 
gaze  upon  the  familiar  figure.  At  all 
events,  she  manifested  the  greatest  interest 
and  emotion  as  she  moved  on  repeating, 
"for  years  and  years." 

Mark  Twain's  Old  Traveler  is  no  myth. 
Similar  spirits  crop  out  in  every  walk  of 
life.  Not  long  ago  a  couple  of  men  were 
seen  standing  in  front  of  Bacchus,  while 
one  more  wise  than  the  other  was  heard 
to  explain  to  his  companion  the  object  of 
their  inspection.  "  Why,"  said  he,  "  that  is 
Bacchus.  Don't  you  know  about  Bacchus  ? 
Why,  he  is  something  about  war,  and  you 


THE    STORY   OF    BACCHUS.  29 

can  always  get  a  good  drink  wherever  you 
see  him."  Not  a  very  intelligent  descrip- 
tion of  the  central  subject,  but  at  the  same 
time  it  partakes  less  of  the  poetical  license 
than  would  at  first  sight  appear. 

Such  is  the  history,  and  has  been  the 
life  and  experience  of  the  Bacchus  image. 
And  if  we  may  be  allowed  to  still  further 
endow  him  with  spiritual  capacities,  by  a 
figure  of  speech,  one  may  imagine,  as  he 
looks  at  the  half-laughing  face,  and  happy 
expressive  eye,  that  the  representative  of 
the  jovial  god  is  saying  to  himself,  as  he 
looks  out  upon  the  passers  by — "  Lo,  I  have 
seen  this  country  grow  from  a  sapling  to  a 
great  tree;  I  have  been  in  darkness  and 
gloom  myself,  but  I  have  come  out  into 
the  sunshine;  young  as  I  look  I  am  older 
than  the  oldest  man  who  walks  about  these 
streets."  Yes,  true.  A  hundred  years  ago 
this  image  was  brought  out  in  the  little 


30  THE   STORY   OF    BACCHUS. 

old  town  of  Windham,  at  that  time  a  place 
of  no  mean  importance;  but,  owing  to  a 
decided  tendency  of  people  and  capital  to 
concentrate  in  cities,  a  force  which  Bacchus 
even  has  been  compelled  to  obey,  it  has, 
like  nearly  all  New  England  country 
towns,  of  late  years  declined  in  popula- 
tion and  influence.  It  is  situated  in  one 
of  the  easternmost  counties  of  Connecti- 
cut, being  twenty-eight  miles  north  of 
New  London,  fourteen  miles  from  Nor- 
wich, thirty  miles  east  of  Hartford,  and 
forty-four  miles  west  of  Providence,  R.  I. 
It  .was  originally  settled  in  the  year  1689, 
by  an  Englishman  who  had  served  under 
Cromwell,  and  fled  to  this  country  when 
Charles  II  ascended  the  throne.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Revolution  it  con- 
tained a  population  of  3800  inhabitants, 
and  was  a  strong  hold  of  democracy,  and 
we  believe  has  kept  its  record  tolerably 


THE   STORY   OF    BACCHUS.  31 

clear  to  the  present  time.  To  this  place, 
picturesque  and  beautiful  in  all  that  nature 
can  do  to  please  the  most  exacting  taste, 
there  came  one  lovely  June  evening  the 
four  champions  of  King  George,  of .  whom 
we  have  written.  One  may  easily  imagine 
the  excitement  and  commotion  which  such 
an  event  would  occasion  in  a  village  like 
it,  full  of  the  strictest  religious  notions, 
and  with  public  feelings  aroused  to  the 
highest  degree  in  favor  of  a  war  for  free- 
dom from  British  rule.  But  it  is  after  all 
purely  an  imaginary  picture.  Of  all  who 
participated  in  the  scene  not  one  is  left. 
The  years  alone  have  been  sufficient  to 
end  their  earthly  careers.  Many  land-marks 
even  of  those  days  have  passed  away. 

The  old  historic  jail,  built  of  wood,  has 
decayed  and  mouldered  to  earth,  the  spot 
of  its  location  long  lost. 

The  majestic  old  elm  in  which  Bacchus 


32  THE    STORY   OF    BACCHUS. 

kept  watch  and  ward  for  so  many  years,  no 
longer  sways  its  lithe  limbs  in  the  breezes 
of  heaven,  or  furnishes  shade  in  which 
man  and  beast  may  be  refreshed ;  its  out- 
stretched branches  have  been  gathered  up, 
its  trunk  riven  asunder,  and  whatever  of 
romance,  or  inspiration,  or  pleasurable  emo- 
tion its  stately  presence  in  its  native  earth 
might  have  excited,  for  its  connection  with 
the  things  which  we  chronicle,  are  gone 
for  ever.  Time,  arbitrary  and  inexorable, 
has  transformed  what  man  has  not  in  the 
ancient  town  so  that  little  of  its  early  con- 
dition is  to  be  now  seen.  It  is  an  interest- 
ing, and  to  those  advanced  in  life,  a  solemn 
thing,  to  go  back  to  the  days  in  which 
Bacchus  first  invited  the  weary  traveler  to 
widow  Gary's  hospitality.  It  is  indeed  a 
thing  to  stir  the  heart  and  to  bring  out  the 
finer  feelings  of  our  natures  to  stand  by  this 
image  to-day  and  go  back  over  the  inter- 


THE   STORY   OF    BACCHUS.  33 

vening  period  of  time,  from  the  present  to 
the  New  England  summer  time  when 
Russell  set  to  work  with  the  help  of  his 
companions  to  carve  this  figure,  which  in 
this  Centennial  year  becomes  a  historical 
relic  worthy,  for  its  historical  associations, 
a  place  beside  other  emblems  of  the  early 
years,  in  the  archives  provided  and  main- 
tained for  their  preservation.  Interesting, 
too,  are  the  thoughts  that  mingle  together 
as  we  draw  the  curtain  of  the  past  and 
review  with  the  mind's  eye  this  eventful 
period.  A  hundred  years!  Look  back 
upon  the  world.  Change  is  written  upon 
every  thing.  Nations  have  gone  down — 
empires  have  crumbled — dynasties  been 
ignored — old  administrations  have  given 
place  to  new  ones.  In  our  own  land  won- 
derful triumphs  have  been  won.  The  war 
which  made  us  free  established  a  system' 
which  grows  fairer  and  stronger  with  each 


34  THE   STORY   OF    BACCHUS. 

recurring  cycle  and  promises  to  increase 
in  its  excellence,  benefits,  and  purity,  over 
and  beyond  the  time  to  which  statues  of 
wood,  brass,  and  marble  can  endure — a 
goodly  heritage  of  a  people  worthy  of  their 
ancestral  sires. 


THE  BATTLE 
OF  THE   FROGS 


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THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS, 

AT    WINDHAM,    IN    1758. 

WRITTEN  BY  WILLIAM   L.  WEAVER,  IN  1857. 


M^  H  E  town  of  Windham  has  been 
rendered  famous  for  all  time,  by  a 
memorable  event  which  occurred  within  its 
borders  about  a  hundred  years,  ago,  when 
the  inhabitants  were  greatly  alarmed  and 
frightened  by  some  unusual  demonstration 
among  the  bull-frogs. 

This  really  singular  affair  has  obtained 
a  wide-spread  notoriety,  and  the  story  of 
the  Windham  Frogs  is  well  known  all 
over  the  country.  Indeed,  the  fame  of  it 
has  been  so  extended,  that  a  citizen  of  the 
town  can  hardly  go  so  far  from  home  but 
he  will  hear  something  about  bull-frogs  if 
his  place  of  nativity  is  known. 


38  THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

This  occurrence  has  been  celebrated  in 
song,  and  sung  in  rhyme  and  doggerel  of 
all  kinds  of  measure  and  metre ;  it  has 
found  a  place  in  grave  history;  the  most 
exaggerated  accounts  have  obtained  cre- 
dence in  some  quarters;  various  traditions 
and  anecdotes  in  relation  to  it  have  been 
remembered  with  remarkable  tenacity, 
while  it  has  afforded  an  inexhaustible 
theme  for  the  indulgence  of  wit  and  pleas- 
antry at  the  expense  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  town. 

We  may  presume  the  actors  in  the 
scene  did  not  wish  to  hear  much  about  it, 
nor  always  relish  the  jokes  and  jibes  to 
which  they  were  subject,  but  their  descend- 
ants have  received  the  ridicule  which  has 
been  showered  upon  them  from  all  quar- 
ters, with  great  good  nature.  They  have 
laughed  with  those  that  laughed  at  the 
ludicrous  aspects  of  the  affair,  and  have 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 


39 


not  been  disposed  to  get  angry  with  those 
who  were  inclined  to  "poke  fun"  at  them  on 
this  account.  In  fact,  they  have  accepted 
the  bull-frog  as  a  device,  have  stamped  his 
image  on  their  bank-bills,  and  were  it  in  the 
days  of  chivalry,  their  heraldic  devices  and 
coats  of  arms  would  blazon  with  bull-frogs. 

Before  noticing  the  different  accounts 
and  traditions  relating  to  the  affair,  or 
attempting  any  explanation  of  it,  a  few  facts 
will  render  the  subject  more  intelligible  to 
those  unacquainted  with  the  geography  and 
topography  of  the  town. 

Windham  is  situated  in  the  eastern  part 
of  Connecticut,  about  thirty  miles  from 
Hartford,  and  was  at  the  time  of  the  occur- 
rence, (1758,)  and  for  many  years  subse- 
quent, the  most  important  town  in  that 
section  of  the  State.  It  had  been  settled 
about  sixty  years  and  contained  a  thousand 
or  more  inhabitants. 


40          THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

The  village  of  Windham  is  located  on  a 
hill  or  considerable  elevation,  which  rises 
to  its  highest  point  a  short  distance  east  of 
the  public  green,  called,  "  Swift  Hill,"  be- 
cause the  residence  of  the  celebrated  Judge 
Swift  was  situated  on  it. 

From  the  summit  of  this  hill,  the  ground 
gradually  descends  eastward  to  the  Frog 
Pond,  which  is  just  a  mile  from  Windham 
village  on  the  Scotland  road.  The  inter- 
vention of  this  hill  may  in  a  measure  ex- 
plain the  confusion  of  noises  heard  at  the 
time  of  the  alarm,  wrhich  appeared  to  many 
to  be  in  the  air.  The  Frog  Pond,  or 
rather  pond  of  frogs,  at  the  time  of  the 
occurrence,  was  a  moderate  sized  mill- 
pond,  caused  by  damming  a  small  stream. 
The  pond  is  somewhat  larger  now  than 
formerly,  caused  by  raising  the  dam,  and 
when  full,  covers  a  surface  of  about  twenty 
acres.  This  pond  was  of  a  marshy  kind, 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.          41 

well  adapted  to  the  taste  of  frogs,  and  must 
at  the  time  have  contained  a  large  number, 
of  all  sorts  and  sizes,  with  excellent  voices. 
It  is  not  necessary,  however,  to  suppose  it 
contained  as  many  as  Peters,  in  his  History 
of  Connecticut,  would  have  us  believe;  for, 
at  a  moderate  estimate,  his  account  would 
give  more  than  Jive  millions ;  but  there 
were  enough  to  make  a  great  deal  of  "  noise 
and  confusion  "  when  they  became  excited. 
There  are  not  probably  as  many  frogs  in 
the  pond  now  as  formerly,  yet  there  are  a 
"  few  left."  A  friend,  sometime  since,  fish- 
ing in  its  waters,  had  a  powerful  bite,  when 
he  "  hauled  in  "  and  found  he  had  caught 
a  big  bull-frog. 

It  was,  according  to  most  accounts,  in 
the  month  of  June  or  July,  1758,  on  a 
dark,  foggy  night,  the  wind  easterly,  with 
an  atmosphere  favorable  to  the  transmis- 
sion of  sound,  that  the  event  happened. 


42  THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

It  was  past  the  midnight  hour,  and  the 
inhabitants  were  buried  in  profound  sleep, 
when  the  outcry  commenced.  There  were 
heard  shouts  and  cries,  and  such  a  variety 
of  mingled  sounds,  which  seemed  to  fill  the 
heavens,  that  soon  roused  the  people  from 
their  slumbers  and  thoroughly  alarmed 
the  town. 

To  the  excited  imaginations  of  the  sud- 
denly awakened  and  startled  inhabitants,  it 
is  not  strange  that  some  thought  the  day 
of  judgment  was  at  hand,  while  others 
supposed  that  an  army  of  French  and 
Indians  was  advancing  to  attack  the  town. 

We  are  not  about  to  draw  upon  the 
imagination,  to  depict  the  scenes  that  then 
and  there  transpired,  as  others  have  done, 
our  only  object  being  to  give  such  facts 
and  incidents  as  will  enable  the  reader  to 
arrive  at  a  correct  solution  of  the  affair. 
But  the  alarm  and  turn  out  of  the  whole 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.  43 

town  at  the  dead  hours  of  night,  the  dark- 
ness and  confusion  in  consequence,  the 
cries  and  screams  of  the  terror-stricken 
women  and  children,  the  running  hither 
and  thither  of  the  half-naked  inhabitants, 
the  continuance  of  the  strange  and  per- 
fectly unaccountable  noises,  must,  without 
any  exaggeration,  have  produced  a  scene, 
in  common  phrase,  "more  easily  imagined 
than  described." 

It  should  be  remembered,  that  it  was 
then  comparatively  a  new  country,  and 
during  the  time  of  the  French  and  Indian 
war  that  resulted  in  the  conquest  of  Can- 
ada. Col.  Dyer*  had  just  raised  a  regiment 

*Col.  Eliphalet  Dyer,  the  same  for  whom  the  frogs  called 
so  loudly,  was  one  of  the  most  eminent  men  in  the  town  and 
State.  He  was  agent  for  the  Colony  to  England,  member  of 
the  first  and  second  Congress,  Chief  Justice  of  the  State,  &c. 
It  is  related  of  him,  that  on  one  occasion  his  arrival  in  the  city 
to  attend  Congress  was  greeted  with  shouts  of  laughter  ;  when 
alighting  he  discovered  the  cause  of  merriment  to  be  a  mon- 
strous bull-frog,  dangling  from  the  hinder  part  of  his  carriage, 
appended  probably  by  some  wag  on  his  route. 


44          THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

to  join  the  expedition  against  Crown  Point, 
and  many  of  the  brave  men  of  the  town 
belonged  to  it,  and  were  at  this  time  on 
the  banks  of  Lake  George,  under  the  he- 
roic Putnam,  battling  with  their  savage 
foes. 

Many  incidents  of  the  fright  are  related, 
and  the  names  of  some  of  the  prominent 
men  of  the  town  have  been  immortalized 
by  this  affair,  but  we  do  not  choose  to 
give  any,  except  such  as  are  brought  out 
in  the  following  accounts  and  ballads,  and 
those  are  probably  pure  fictions,  or  greatly 
exaggerated. 

Towards  morning  the  sounds  began  to 
die  away,  and  order  and  quiet  was  restored 
to  this  unusually  peaceful  town.  To  those 
who  took  the  trouble  to  go  to  the  pond  — 
and  we  presume  many  did  go  the  next 
day  —  the  scene  of  the  disturbance  was 
manifest.  Dead  frogs  by  hundreds,  some 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.          45 

say  thousands,  were  lying  on  the  shores  of 
the  pond  or  floating  on  its  surface,  either 
killed  in  battle,  or  by  some  dire  catastro- 
phe. The  mortification  and  chagrin  of 
the  citizens,  when  the  facts  became  Jmown, 
ma,y  well  be  imagined,  and  we  presume 
they  never  heard  the  last  of  it.  To  be 
frightened  half  out  of  their  senses  by  a 
parcel  of  contemptible  bull-frogs,  was  too 
ludicrous  an  affair  not  to  make  them  the 
butt  of  ridicule  ever  afterwards. 

That  the  people  of  Windham  were 
aroused  from  their  midnight  slumbers ; 
that  the  town  was  thoroughly  alarmed 
and  many  terribly  frightened;  that  there 
was  great  confusion  and  consternation, 
caused  by  some  extraordinary  tumult  a- 
mong  the  frogs,  as  has  been  stated,  all  this 
is  undoubtedly  true  ;  but  the  occasion  of 
this  unusual  outcry  in  frogdom,  the  why 
and  how  of  it  are  not  so  clear,  there  being 


46  THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

many    versions    and    explanations    of    the 
affair. 

The  account  of  Peters,  given  in  the  fol- 
lowing pages,  in  his  veracioiis  History  of 
Connecticut,  which  has  probably  been  more 
widely  published  than  any  other,  is  that 
the  frogs  finding  their  pond  becoming  dry, 
left  in  a  body  for  the  river,  and  were  so 
numerous  that,  in  his  own  language,  "  They 
Jilted  a  road  forty  yards  wide  four  miles 
in  length"  and  the  noise  and  clamor  made 
by  them  in  passing  through  the  town  at 
midnight,  caused  the  alarm.  This  account 
has  obtained  extensive  belief,  especially 
abroad,  and  the  first  ballad  following  is 
founded  upon  it.  The  absurdity  and  evi- 
dent exaggeration  of  this  statement  are 
truly  laughable,  and  were  it  not  that  his 
narration  has  been,  and  still  is  considered 
by  many,  a  veritable  history  of  the  affair,  it 
would  be  unworthy  a  moment's  notice. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.          47 

Mr.  Peters  resided  at  Hebron,  Conn., 
only  about  a  dozen  miles  from  Windham, 
soon  after  the  occurrence ;  he  had  evidently 
been  in  the  town  and  describes  its  appear- 
ance; he  might  then  have  easily  obtained 
the  facts ;  his  account  is  apparently  candid, 
and  were  there  nothing  else  incorrect  or 
untrue  in  his  book,  his  statements,  how- 
ever wonderful,  would  seem  to  be  founded 
on  fact. 

But  his  whole  book  is  most  grossly  and 
unpardonably  inaccurate  and  reckless  in  its 
statements,  besides  its  downright  false- 
hoods. As  a  specimen  or  two  of  his  in- 
correctness, he  says  the  Frog  Pond  is  Jive 
miles  from  Windham,  whereas  it  is  only 
one ;  that  it  is  three  miles  square,  when  it 
never  was  a  fourth  of  a  mile  in  extent. 

From  this  and  other  exaggerated  state- 
ments with  which  his  book  abounds,  it  is 
plain  that  no  reliance  whatever  can  be 


48  THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

placed  on  his  account,  clergyman  though 
he  was,  unless  sustained  by  other  testi- 
mony, and  his  object  probably  was  to  make 
out  a  large  story  to  add  to  the  attractions 
of  his  book. 

There  are,  however,  some  traditions  that 
the  frogs  left  the  pond  and  started  towards 
the  town  and  were  met  by  the  "armed 
men,"  and  a  battle,  or  rather  a  massacre  did 
take  place,  when  the  frogs  were  slaughtered 
without  mercy  by  the  enraged  inhabitants, 
whose  slumbers  had  been  so  much  dis- 
turbed. But  these  accounts  seem  to  be  all 
founded  on  the  statement  of  Peters,  or 
ballads  based  on  the  same. 

The  other  and  more  favorite  theory  is, 
that  there  was  simply  and  literally  a  "  battle 
of  the  frogs,"  or  a  fight  among  themselves, 
caused  by  a  short  supply  of  water,  owing  to 
a  severe  drought  which  had  prevailed. 
This  view  of  the  matter  is  fully  set  forth, 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.          49 

suitably  embellished,  in  the  account  given 
in  the  following  pages,  and  first  published 
as  a  preface  to  the  song,  entitled  "  Lawyers 
and  Bull-frogs."  It  is  probably  more  gen- 
erally believed  by  the  present  inhabitants 
of  the  town  than  any  other,  as  giving  the 
most  rational  explanation  of  the  affair ;  yet 
it  is  not  by  any  means  established,  as  we 
shall  see. 

Supposing  the  facts  and  particulars 
would  be  better  known,  and  the  traditions 
more  reliable  by  those  living  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  the  pond,  we  have  taken 
some  pains  to  learn  the  views  of  those  on 
the  spot,  as  obtained  from  their  fathers, 
living  at  the  time  of  the  occurrence. 

The  Frog  Pond  was  then  owned  by  a 
Follett  family,  and  the  premises  have  been 
in  possession  of  their  descendants  ever 
since.  The  privilege  is  now  owned  by 
Abner  Follett,  Esq.,  who  has  very  kindly 


50  THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

given  the  writer  of  this  article  his  views  of 
the  affair,  founded  on  traditions  preserved 
in  the  family.  He  says  that  his  father, 
though  young,  remembered  the  occurrence, 
was  on  the  ground  at  the  time,  and  he  has 
often  heard  him  relate  it. 

These  traditions  are  briefly  as  follows : 
The  event  occurred  in  the  month  of  JUNE, 
though  whether  O.  S.  or  N.  S.,  Mr.  Follett 
does  not  know.  The  pond  was  not  dry, 
nor  had  there  been  any  drought,  as  is  so 
generally  believed ;  there  was  plenty  of 
water  at  the  time  in  the  pond,  it  being  sup- 
plied by  a  never-failing  stream.  The  frogs 
did  not  leave  the  pond,  as  many  now  sup- 
pose, and  there  was  no  evidence  of  fighting, 
though  many  dead  frogs  were  found  about 
the  pond  next  morning,  yet  without  any 
visible  wounds.  The  outcry  was  loud  and 
very  extraordinary,  the  noises  seemed  to 
fill  the  heavens,  and  are  described  as  thun- 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.          51 

derlike.  Some  near  by  declared  that  they 
could  feel  their  beds  vibrate  under  them, 
yetr  knowing  from  whence  the  sounds  came, 
and  that  they  were  made  by  the  frogs,  they 
were  not  frightened,  as  were  the  inhabitants 
of  the  village.  The  real  cause  of  the  out- 
cry is  unknown.  Various  opinions  were 
entertained  at  the  time;  some  attributed  it 
to  disease,  as  so  many  dead  frogs  were 
found  on  the  shores  of  the  pond. 

Such  is  the  substance  of  Mr.  Follett's 
statement,  and  coming  so  direct,  and  from 
such  a  source,  is  entitled  to  the  greatest 
weight.  To  those  who  know  Mr.  F.,  it  is 
unnecessary  to  say  that  nothing  exagger- 
ated or  savoring  of  romance  would  be 
stated  or  entertained  by  him.  No  man  has 
had  better  opportunities  to  learn  the  facts ; 
no  one,  we  think,  would  be  more  likely  to 
discard  all  fiction,  and  if  these  statements 
can  not  be  credited,  we  can  place  no 


52          THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

reliance  on  any  traditions  relating  to  the 
affair. 

From  the  lapse  of  time  since  the  occur- 
rence, the  few  reliable  facts  preserved,  and 
the  conflicting  accounts,  it  is  not  so  easy 
to  decide  positively  as  to  the  cause  of  the 
disturbance. 

It  occurred  when  newspapers  were  scarce, 
and  no  account,  so  far  as  we  can  learn,  was 
published  at  the  time.  It  is  very  certain 
that  the  sounds  heard  were  not  the  ordi- 
nary croakings  of  the  frogs,  for  their  usual 
notes  could  hardly  be  heard  a  mile,  under 
favorable  circumstances ;  besides,  their  com- 
mon sounds  would  not  have  caused  alarm, 
or  attracted  any  particular  attention.  It 
must  have  been  something  unusual  and 
very  extraordinary  to  have  produced  such 
an  excitement. 

The  statement  of  Peters,  and  others,  that 
the  frogs  left  the  pond,  is  rejected,  not  only 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.          53 

from  its  inherent  improbability,  but  as  not 
warranted  by  the  circumstances,  or  sus- 
tained by  the  most  reliable  traditions. 

The  other  and  more  favorite  theory  is,  as 
has  been  stated,  that  owing  to  a  severe 
drought,  there  was  a  short  supply  of  water, 
and  that  the  frogs  fought  among  themselves 
for  the  enjoyment  of  what  remained. 

The  writer,  with  many  others,  has  be- 
lieved that  the  frogs  did  have  a  fight,  that 
they  "  fought  like  dogs,"  and  that  many  did 
not  live  to  fight  another  day. 

This  view  would  certainly  seem  to  be 
inconsistent,  or  at  least  not  sustained,  by 
the  account  of  Mr.  Follett.  If  the  occur- 
rence was  in  June,  it  is  not  probable  that 
there  was  a  drought  so  early  in  the  season, 
and  if  there  was  no  drought,  the  cause  uni- 
versally assigned  as  the  origin  of  the  fight 
did  not  exist.  Yet  notwithstanding  these 
statements,  we  think  the  possibility  of  a 


54          THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

fight  is  not  absolutely  precluded,  though 
rendered  less  probable.  But  if  the  frogs 
did  not  have  a  fight,  what  caused  them  to 
make  such  a  terrible  outcry?  Was  it  a 
disease,  as  suggested  by  some,  at  the  time  ? 
It  is  hardly  probable  that  an  epidemic 
would  have  been  so  sudden  in  its  attack, 
have  produced  so  great  mortality,  and  have 
been  so  soon  over. 

Was  there  a  shock  of  an  earthquake,  or 
some  convulsion  of  nature  in  connection 
with  the  affair  that  proved  such  a  catastro- 
phe to  the  frogs  ?  The  jarring  thunder- 
like  sounds  would  indicate  that  it  is  possi- 
ble, yet  there  are  no  facts  or  traditions 
besides  to  warrant  such  a  supposition. 
Were  there  thunderings  and  lightnings, 
and  were  the  frogs  somehow  affected  and 
killed  by  electricity  ?  There  is  nothing  to 
justify  such  a  conclusion.  What  was  it 
then  that  killed  the  frogs  ?  The  two  facts 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.          55 

undisputed  are,  that  there  was  an  unusual 
outcry  and  a  large  quantity  of  dead  frogs 
found  about  the  pond  next  morning,  which, 
taken  together,  we  think  plainly  indicates 
that  the  noise  had  some  connection  with 
the  death  of  the  frogs.  It  has  been  sug- 
gested that  when  the  frogs  make  the  most 
noise,  they  are  in  the  highest  state  of  enjoy- 
ment, and  if  the  traditions  are  correct,  the 
sounds  made  were  of  the  same  kind  as 
heard  from  frogs  on  ordinary  occasions. 
This  would  show  that  they  were  having  a 
high  time,  were  very  happy,  and  therefore 
vociferous  ;  perhaps  striving  with  all  their 
might  to  excel  each  other.  But  in  this 
case,  what  killed  the  frogs  ?  Is  it  possible 
that  it  was  the  excitement  or  over-exertion 
on  that  memorable  night? 

We  may  tax  the  imagination  to  any  ex- 
tent, yet  if  the  frogs  did  not  fight  among 
themselves,  we  are  left  entirely  to  conjecture 


56          THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

as  to  the  cause  of  the  disturbance.  But, 
will  frogs  fight?  We  believe  they  are  not 
naturally  very  belligerent,  yet  like  other  in- 
offensive creatures,  they  can  and  sometimes 
do  fight,  and  it  is  also  said  that  the  big 
ones  will  destroy  and  eat  up  the  little  ones. 
Some  facts  with  regard  to  the  habits  and 
peculiarities  of  frogs,  would  be  interesting, 
and  perhaps  help  solve  the  difficulty,  but 
we  can  only  allude  to  them. 

That  a  frog  is  not  exactly  a  fighting  ani- 
mal, is  shown  from  the  fact  that  he  is  not 
possessed  of  any  formidable  means  of 
offense  or  defense,  and  has  no  teeth,  only 
a  hard  membranous  gum,  extending  around 
the  mouth.  Their  mode  of  combat  is 
peculiar.  They  grapple  each  other  with 
the  fore  paws,  get  hold  with  their  mouth, 
and  when  firmly  fastened  together,  will 
kick  with  their  hind  feet  at  the  most  vital 
parts.  Besides  their  capacity  for  making 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.          57 

their  usual  sounds,  they  will,  when  injured, 
at  times,  utter  a  cry  like  that  of  a  young 
child.  We  should  suppose  that  in  this 
mode  of  fighting  they  would  make  a  good 
deal  of  fuss  and  noise,  and  it  is  a  fact  that 
while  so  engaged  they  do  sometimes  cry 
out  or  "squall,"  as  a  person  remarked 
who  had  often  observed  them.  In  such 
a  contest  the  strongest  would  most  likely 
prove  the  victor,  and  as  the  frog  is  rather 
tough-hided,  death  by  such  a  process 
might  not  leave  any  visible  wound  on  the 
victim.  It  has  been  suggested  that  had 
there  been  a  battle,  there  would  have  been 
profound  silence,  but  we  have  it  on  good 
authority,  that  frogs  do  at  times,  when 
engaged  in  fighting,  make  more  or  less 
noise;  yet  whether  they  would,  or  did, 
make  such  a  racket  as  was  heard  on  this 
occasion,  while  having  a  general  melee,  is 
a  question.  But  as  frogs  will  fight,  and 


58          THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

do  sometimes  make  a  noise  when  engaged 
in  combat  —  even  if  there  was  no  lack  of 
water  in  the  pond,  and  no  cause  known  for 
a  conflict  —  can  we  not  more  rationally 
account  for  the  outcry,  and  the  dead  frogs, 
by  supposing  that  for  some  reason  or  other, 
there  was  a  battle,  than  on  any  other 
hypothesis  ? 

But  we  can  devote  no  more  space  to  the 
consideration  of  this  "  strange  eventful  his- 
tory." It  was  certainly  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  events  that  ever  occurred  in 
the  country,  the  like  of  which  was  never 
known  before  or  since.  With  the  facts 
and  speculations  given  above,  and  the  ac- 
counts following,  we  leave  our  readers  to 
form  their  own  opinions  of  the  occurrence, 
and  its  cause. 

As  many  have  a  desire  to  preserve  the 
old  songs  and  traditions  relating  to  this  af- 
fair, the  writer  has  collected  the  following 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.  59 

accounts  and  ballads,  which  are  "  Curiosi- 
ties of  Literature  "  in  their  way,  and  pre- 
sents them  as  amusing  relics  of  the  olden 
time,  in  a  style  and  form  suitable  for 
preservation. 


60          THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 


THE    WINDHAM    FROGS. 

BY  REV.  SAMUEL  PETERS. 

[The  following  marvelous  account  of  the  Windham  Frogs, 
is  extracted  from  Dr.  Samuel  Peters'  General  History  of 
Connecticut. 

Mr.  Peters  resided  at  one  time  in  Hebron,  Conn.,  previous 
to  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  living  so  near  the  scene 
described,  and  it  being  so  soon  after  the  event  happened, 
it  is  rather  strange  that  he  should  give  such  an  exaggerated 
account  of  the  affair. 

But  Dr.  Peters  was  a  decided  Tory,  and  found  it  convenient 
to  leave  for  England  soon  after  the  breaking  out  of  the  war. 
In  1781,  he  published  in  London  his  famous  History  of 
Connecticut,  in  which  he  attempted  to  show  up  the  people 
of  the  colony,  with  their  manners,  customs,  laws,  &c.,  in  no 
very  enviable  light.  This  extract  is  a  fair  specimen  of  its 
correctness.  No  wonder  President  Dwight  called  it-  "  a  mass 
of  folly  and  falsehood."] 

"Windham  resembles  Rumford  and 
stands  on  the  Winnomantic  River.  Its 
meeting-house  is  elegant,  and  has  a  steeple, 
bell  and  clock.  Its  court-house  is  scarcely 
to  be  looked  upon  as  an  ornament.  The 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.          6 1 

township  forms  four  parishes,  and  it  is  ten 
miles  square.  Strangers  are  very  much 
terrified  at  the  hideous  noise  made  on 
summer  evenings  by  the  vast  number  of 
frogs  in  the  brooks  and  ponds.  There  are 
about  thirty  different  voices  among  them ; 
some  of  which  resemble  the  bellowing  of  a 
bull.  The  owls  and  whip-poor-wills  com- 
plete the  rough  concert,  which  may  be 
heard  several  miles.  Persons  accustomed 
to  such  serenaders  are  not  disturbed  by 
them  at  their  proper  stations ;  but  one 
night,  in  July,  1758,  the  frogs  of  an  artifi- 
cial pond,  three  miles  square,  and  about 
five  from  Windham,  finding  the  water 
dried  up,  left  the  place  in  a  body,  and 
marched,  or  rather  hopped,  towards  Win- 
nomantic  River.  They  were  under  the 
necessity  of  taking  the  road  and  going 
through  the  town,  which  they  entered 
about  midnight  The  bull-frogs  were  the 


62          THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

leaders,  and  the  pipers  followed  without 
number.  They  filled  a  road  forty  yards 
wide,  for  four  miles  in  length,  and  were  for 
several  hours,  in  passing  through  the  town, 
unusually  clamorous.  The  inhabitants 
were  equally  perplexed  and  frightened; 
some  expected  to  find  an  army  of  French 
and  Indians ;  others  feared  an  earthquake 
and  dissolution  of  nature.  The  consterna- 
tion was  universal.  Old  and  young,  male 
and  female,  fled  naked  from  their  beds  with 
more  shriekings  than  those  of  the  frogs. 
The  event  was  fatal  to  several  women. 
The  men,  after  a  flight  of  half  a  mile,  in 
which  they  met  with  many  broken  shins, 
finding  no  enemies  in  pursuit  of  them, 
made  a  halt,  and  summoned  resolution 
enough  to  venture  back  to  their  wives  and 
children ;  when  they  distinctly  heard  from 
the  enemy's  camp  these  words,  Wight, 
Hilderken,  Dier,  Pete.  This  last  they 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.          63 

thought  meant  treaty;  and  plucking  up 
courage,  they  sent  a  triumvirate  to  capitu- 
late with  the  supposed  French  and  Indians. 
These  three  men  approached  in  their 
shirts,  and  begged  to  speak  with  the  gen- 
eral, but  it  being  dark,  and  no  answer 
given,  they  were  sorely  agitated  for  some 
time  betwixt  hope  and  fear;  at  length, 
however,  they  discovered  that  the  dreaded 
inimical  army  was  an  army  of  thirsty  frogs 
going  to  the  river  for  a  little  water.  Such 
an  incursion  was  never  known  before  nor 
since ;  and  yet  the  people  of  Windham 
have  been  ridiculed  for  their  timidity  on 
this  occasion.  I  verily  believe  an  army 
under  the  Duke  of  Maryborough  would, 
under  like  circumstances,  have  acted  no 
better  than  they  did." 


64          THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 


The  following  ballad  is  from  an  old  Providence  Gazette, 
and  appears  to  be  founded  on  Peters'  account  of   the  affair. 


THE   FROGS   OF  WINDHAM. 

AN    OLD    COLONY    TALE    FOUNDED    ON    FACT. 

BY  ARION. 

When  these  free  States  were  colonies 

Unto  the  mother  nation, 
And,  in  Connecticut,  the  good 

Old  Blue  Laws  were  in  fashion, 

A  circumstance  which  there  occurred, 

(And  much  the  mind  surprises 
Upon  reflection,)  then  gave  rise 

To  many  strange  surmises. 

You  all  have  seen,  as  I  presume, 

Or  had  a  chance  to  see, 
Those  strange  amphibious  quadrupeds, 

Call'd  bull-frogs  commonly. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.          65 

Well,  in  Connecticut  'tis  said, 

By  those  who  make  pretensions 
To  truth,  those  creatures  often  grow 

To  marvelous  dimensions. 

One  night  in  July,  '58, 

They  left  their  home  behind  'em, 
Which  was  an  oak  and  chestnut  swamp, 

About  five  miles  from  Windham. 

The  cause  was  this  :  —  the  summer's  sun 

Had  dried  their  pond  away  there 
So  shallow,  that  to  save  their  souls, 

The  bull-frogs  could  not  stay  there. 

So  in  a  regiment  they  hopp'd, 

With  many  a  curious  antic, 
Along  the  road  which  lead  unto 

The  river  Willimantic. 

So  they  in  sight  of  Windham  came, 

All  in  high  perspiration, 
And  held  their  course  straight  t'wards  the  same, 

With  loud  vociferation. 

You  know  such  kind  of  creatures  are 

By  nature  quite  voracious  ; 
Thus  they,  impelled  by  hunger,  were 

Remarkably  loquacious. 


66          THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

Up  flew  the  windows,  one  and  all, 

And  then  with  ears  erected, 
From  every  casement,  gaping  rows 

Of  night-capped  heads  projected. 

The  children  cried,  the  women  scream'd, 

"  O  Lord  have  mercy  on  us  ! 
The  French  have  come  to  burn  us  out ! 

And  now  are  close  upon  us." 

A  few  upon  the  first  alarm, 

Then  arm'd  themselves  to  go  forth 

Against  the  foe,  with  guns  and  belts, 
Shot,  powder-horns,  and  so  forth. 

Soon  all  were  running  here  and  there, 

In  mighty  consternation ; 
Resolving  of  the  town  to  make 

A  quick  evacuation. 

Away  they  went  across  the  lots, 

Hats,  caps,  and  wigs,  were  scatter'd  ; 

And  heads  were  broke,  and  shoes  were  lost ; 
Shins  bruis'd  and  noses  batter'd. 

Thus  having  gain'd  a  mile  or  two, 

These  men  of  steady  habits, 
All  snug  behind  an  old  stone  wall 

Lay,  like  a  nest  of  rabbits. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.  67 

And  in  this  state,  for  half  an  hour, 

With  jaws  an  inch  asunder, 
They  thought  upon  their  goods  at  home, 

Exposed  to  lawless  plunder. 

They  thought  upon  their  hapless  wives, 

Their  meeting-house  and  cattle  ; 
And  then  resolv'd  to  sally  forth 

And  give  the  Frenchmen  battle. 

Among  the  property  which  they 
Had  brought  with  them  to  save  it, 

Were  found  two  trumpets  and  a  drum, 
Just  as  good  luck  would  have  it/ 

Fifteen  or  twenty  jews-harps  then 

Were  found  in  good  condition, 
And  all  the  longest  winded  men, 

Wert  put  in  requisition. 

Straightway,  in  long  and  loud  alarm, 

Said  instruments  were  clang-ed, 
And  the  good  old  one  hundredth  psalm, 

From  nose  and  Jews-harp  twang-ed. 

Such  as  were  arm'd,  in  order  ranged, 

The  music  in  the  center  — 
Declar'd  they  would  not  run  away 

But  on  the  French  would  venture. 


68          THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

There  might  have  been  among  them  all, 

Say  twenty  guns  or  over- 
How  many  pitchforks,  scythes  and  flails, 

I  never  could  discover. 

The  rest  agreed  to  close  the  rear, 

After  some  intercession, 
And  altogether  made  a  queer 

And  curious  procession. 

Some  were  persuaded  that  they  saw 
The  band  of  French  marauders ; 

And  not  a  few  declared  they  heard 
The  officers  give  orders. 

These  words  could  be  distinguished  then, 
"  Dyer,"  "  Elderkin,"  and  "  Tete," 

And  when  they  heard  the  last,  they  thought 
The  French  desired  a  treaty. 

So  three  good  sober-minded  men 
Were  chosen  straight  to  carry 

Terms  to  the  French,  as  ministers 
Plenipotentiary. 

These,  moving  on,  with  conscious  fear, 

Did  for  a  hearing  call, 
And  begged  a  moment's  leave  to  speak 

With  the  French  general. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.          69 

The  advancing  foe  an  answer  made, 

But  (it  was  quite  provoking,) 
Not  one  of  them  could  understand 

The  language  it  was  spoke  in. 

So  there  they  stood  in  piteous  plight, 

'Twas  ludicrous  to  see  ; 
Until  the  bull-frogs  came  in  sight, 

Which  sham'd  them  mightily. 

Then  all  went  home,  right  glad  to  save 

Their  property  from  pillage  j 
And  all  agreed  to  shame  the  men 

Who  first  alarm'd  the  village. 

Some  were  well  pleas'd,  and  some  were  mad, 

Some  turn'd  it  off  in  laughter  ; 
And  some  would  never  speak  a  word 

About  the  thing  thereafter. 

Some  vow'd  if  Satan  came  at  last. 

They  did  not  mean  to  flee  him  ; 
But  if  a  frog  they  ever  pass'd, 

Pretended  not  to  see  him. 


70  THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

God  save  the  State  of  Rhode  Island 
And  Providence  Plantations ; 

May  we  have  ever  at  command 
"  Good  clothing,  pay,  and  rations." 

One  good  old  rule,  avoiding  strife, 
I've  followed  since  my  youth  — 

To  always  live  an  upright  life, 
And  tell  the  downright  truth. 


THE    FROG   BATTLE. 


ANONYMOUS. 


[The  following  account  of  this  singular  event  is  undoubt- 
edly much  nearer  the  truth  than  the  narration  of  Peters.  It 
was  published  as  an  introduction  to  the  ballad  following. 

The  latter  is  said  to  have  been  composed  by  Master  Ebene- 
zer  Tilden,  of  Lebanon,  father  of  the  somewhat  noted  Col. 
Tilden,  of  the  same  town.  The  most  ancient  looking  copy  the 
writer  can  find,  has  the  following  long  and  rather  quaint  title : 
"  A  true  relation  of  a  strange  battle  between  some  Lawyers  and 
Bull-Frogs,  set  forth  in  a  new  Song,  written  by  a  jolly  farmer 
of  New  England."  This  song,  under  the  titles  of  "Lawyers 
and  Bull-Frogs,"  and  "  Bull  Frog  Song,"  has  been  extensively 
published,  and  has  been  very  popular.  In  fact,  it  has  been 
considered  the  Bull-frog  song.  In  it  an  attempt  is  made  to  hit 
off  some  of  the  magnates  of  the  town,  and  we  presume  it  was 
not  very  well  relished  by  them  on  its  first  publication. 

The  cause  assigned  in  it  for  the  disturbance  among  the  frogs, 
is  of  course  purely  fanciful,  and  the  description  of  the  scenes 
occasioned  by  the  alarm,  probably  contains  more  poetry  (or 
rather  rhyme )  than  truth.] 


"  On  a  dark,  cloudy,  dismal  night  in  the 
month  of  July,  A.  D.,  1758,  the  inhabitants 


72  THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

of  Windham,  a  small  town  in  the  eastern 
part  of  Connecticut,  (family  prayer  having 
been  duly  and  reverently  performed  around 
each  altar,)  had  retired  for  rest,  and  for 
several  hours  all  were  wrapt  in  profound 
repose  —  when  suddenly,  soon  after  mid- 
night, the  slumbers  of  the  peaceful  inhabi- 
tants were  disturbed  by  a  most  terrific 
noise  in  the  sky,  right  over  their  heads, 
which,  to  many,  seemed  the  yells  and 
screeches  of  infuriated  Indians,  and  others 
had  no  other  way  of  accounting  for  the 
awful  sounds,  which  still  kept  increasing, 
but  by  supposing  that  the  day  of  judgment 
had  certainly  come,  and  to  their  terrified 
imaginations,  the  awful  uproar  in  the  air 
seemed  the  immediate  precursor  of  the 
clangor  of  the  last  trumpet.  At  intervals, 
many  supposed  they  could  distinguish  the 
calling  out  of  the  particular  names,  as  of 
Col.  Dyer,  Elderkin,  two  eminent  lawyers, 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.  73 

and  this  increased  the  general  terror.  It 
was  told  me  by  my  reverend  grandmother, 
and  I  do  not  doubt  the  fact  in  the  least,  as 
it  has  been  confirmed  by  many  other  aged 
and  venerable  standbys  of  the  town,  both 
male  and  female,  that  the  minister  of  the 
parish,  surrounded  by  his  trembling  family, 
fell  on  his  knees  in  an  agony  of  prayer,  and, 
(as  expressed  in  the  verses  which  follow,) 
in  his  garden  among  the  bean-poles,  (but 
this  probably  is  an  embellishment  of  the 
poet,)  and  that  by  a  simultaneous  move- 
ment, a  great  proportion  of  the  inhabitants 
resorted  to  the  same  expedient  for  succor. 
But  soon  there  was  a  rush  from  every 
house,  the  tumult  in  the  air  increasing. 
Old  and  young,  male  and  female,  poured 
forth  into  the  streets,  "  in  puris  naturali- 
bus"  entirely  forgetful,  in  their  hurry  and 
consternation,  of  the  nether  habiliments, 
and  with  eyes  upturned,  tried  to  pierce  the 


74 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 


most  palpable  darkness.  My  venerable 
informant,  who  well  recollects  the  event, 
says,  that  some  daring  spirits,  concluding 
there  was  nothing  supernatural  in  the 
hubbub  and  uproar  overhead,  but  that 
rather  they  heard  the  yells  of  Indians  com- 
mencing a  midnight  attack,  loaded  their 
guns  and  sallied  forth  to  meet  the  invading 
foes.  These  valiant  heroes,  on  ascending 
the  hill  that  bounds  the  village  on  the  east, 
perceived  that  the  sounds  came  from  that 
quarter,  and  not  from  the  skies,  as  at  first 
believed ;  but  their  courage  would  not  per- 
mit them  to  proceed  to  the  daring  ex- 
tremity of  advancing  eastward,  until  they 
should  discover  the  real  cause  of  alarm  and 
distress  which  pervaded  the  whole  village. 
"  Towards  morning  the  sounds  in  the 
air  seemed  to  die  away,  and  the  horror- 
stricken  Windhamites,  discovering  that  no 
Indians  made  an  attack,  and  that  for  that 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.          75 

time  they  had  escaped  from  being  called 
to  their  account,  (a  general  impression  pre- 
vailed for  a  time  among  the  females  and 
the  more  timid  of  the  male  population,  that 
the  day  of  judgment  was  at  hand,)  retired 
to  rest,  but  not  until  the  two  robust 
Colonels  had  planted  sentinels  in  every 
place  where  there  was  the  least  danger  of 
an  attack  from  the  Indians. 

"In  the  morning,  the  whole  cause  of 
alarm,  which  produced  such  distressing  ap- 
prehensions among  the  good  people  of  the 
town,  was  apparent  to  all  who  took  the 
trouble  to  go  to  a  certain  mill-pond,  situ- 
ated about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  eastward 
of  the  village.  This  pond— hereafter  in 
the  annals  of  fame  forever  to  be  called  the 
FROG  POND  — in  consequence  of  a 
severe  drought  which  had  prevailed  for 
many  weeks,  had  become  nearly  dry,  and 
the  Bull-Frogs  it  was  densely  populated 


76          THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

with,  fought  a  pitched  battle  on  the  sides 
of  the  ditch  which  ran  through  it,  for  the 
possession  and  enjoyment  of  the  fluid 
which  remained.  Long  and  obstinate  was 
the  contest  maintained.  Several  thousands 
of  the  warrior  hosts  were  found  dead  on 
both  sides  of  the  ditch  the  next  morning. 
It  had  been  remarkably  still  for  several 
hours  before  the  battle  commenced,  but 
suddenly,  as  if  by  a  preconcerted  agree- 
ment, every  frog  on  one  side  of  the  ditch 
raised  the  war  cry,  COL.  DYER!  COL.  DYER! 
and  at  the  same  instant,  from  the  opposite 
side  shouted  the  adversaries,  ELDERKIN 
TOO  !  ELDERKIN  TOO  ! 

"  Owing  to  some  peculiar  state  of  the 
atmosphere,  the  awful  noises  and  cries 
appeared  to  be  directly  over  their  heads ; 
and,  considering  all  the  circumstances,  it  is 
not  at  all  surprising  that  many  ludicrous, 
and  even  distressing  events,  should  have 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.          JJ 

occurred  on  that  eventful  night,  among 
the  affrighted  inhabitants  of  the  city  of 
'BULL  FROGS.'" 

BULL-FROG   SONG, 

ORIGINALLY    ENTITLED    "  LAWYERS  AND    BULL-FROGS." 

Good  people  all,  both  great  and  small, 

Of  every  occupation, 
I  pray  draw  near  and  lend  an  ear 

To  this  our  true  relation. 

'Twas  of  a  fright  happened  one  night, 

Caused  by  the  bull-frog  nation, 
As  strange  an  one  as  ever  was  known, 

In  all  our  generation. 

The  frogs  we  hear,  in  bull-frog  shire, 

Their  chorister  had  buried  ; 
The  saddest  loss,  and  greatest  cross 

That  ever  they  endured. 

Thus  being  deprived,  they  soon  contrived, 
Their  friends  to  send  to,  greeting, 

Even  to  all,  both  great  and  small, 
To  hold  a  general  meeting. 


78          THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

Subject  and  lord,  with  one  accord, 
Now  came  with  bowels  yearning, 

For  to  supply,  and  qualify, 
And  fit  a  frog  for  learning. 

For  to  supply  immediately, 
The  place  of  their  deceased, 

There  did  they  find  one  to  their  mind, 
Which  soon  their  sorrow  eased. 

This  being  done,  the  glorious  sun, 
Being  down  and  night  advancing, 

With  great  delight  they  spent  the  night, 
In  music  and  in  dancing. 

And  when  they  sung,  the  air  it  rung, 
And  when  they  broke  in  laughter, 

It  did  surprise  both  learned  and  wise, 
As  you  shall  find  hereafter. 

A  negro  man,  we  understand, 
Awoke  and  heard  the  shouting, 

He  ne'er  went  abroad,  but  awak'd  his  lord, 
Which  filled  their  hearts  with  doubting. 

They  then  did  rise,  with  great  surprise, 

And  raised  the  town  or  city, 
Although  before  unto  the  poor 

They  ne'er  would  show  pity. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.  79 

With  one  accord  they  went  abroad, 

And  stood  awhile  to  wonder, 
The  bull-frog  shout  appears  no  doubt 

To  them  like  claps  of  thunder. 

Which  made  them  say,  the  judgment  day, 

Without  a  doubt  was  coming ; 
For  in  the  air,  they  did  declare, 

Was  very  awful  drumming. 

Those  lawyers  fees  would  give  no  ease, 
Though  well  they're  worth  inditing  ; 

To  pray  they  kneel  —  alas  !  they  feel 
The  worm  of  conscience  biting. 

Being  thus  dismayed,  one  of  them  said, 

He  would  make  restitution  — 
He  would  restore  one-half  or  more  — 

This  was  his  resolution. 

Another's  heart  was  touched  in  part, 

But  not  pricked  to  the  centre, 
Rather  than  pay  one-half  away, 

His  soul,  he  said,  he'd  venture. 

Then  they  agreed  to  go  with  speed,    . 

And  see  what  was  the  matter ; 
And  as  they  say  that  by  the  way 

Repenting  tears  did  scatter. 


8o  THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

They  traveled  still  unto  the  hill, 

With  those  men  they  did  rally, 
Then  soon  they  found  the  doleful  sound 

To  come  out  of  the  valley. 

Then  down  they  went,  with  one  consent, 
And  found  those  frogs  a-singing, 

Raising  their  voice  for  to  rejoice, 
This  was  the  doleful  ringing. 

Home  those  great  men  returned  then, 
Now  filled  with  wrath  and  malice, 

And  mustered  all,  both  great  and  small, 
From  prison  and  from  palace. 

Swearing,  I  say,  thus  in  array, 

To  be  revenged  uporrthem  ; 
Thinking  it  best,  I  do  protest, 

To  go  and  fall  upon  them. 

Then  armed  all,  both  great  and  small, 
With  guns  and  swords  and  hatchets, 

The  Indian  king  could  never  bring 
An  army  that  could  match  it. 

Old  Stoughton  he  ran  and  charged  up  his  gun, 

And  flourished  his  sword  in  the  air, 
"  But  not  being  stout,"  he  at  last  gave  out, 
And  fell  on  his  knees  to  prayer. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.  8 1 

Then  armed  with  fury,  both  judge  and  jury, 

Unto  the  Frog-Pond  moved  ; 
And  as  they  say,  a  fatal  day 

Unto  the  frogs  it  proved. 

This  terrible  night  the  Parson  did  fright 

His  people  almost  to  despair, 
For  poor  Windham  souls,  among  the  bean-poles, 

He  made  a  most  wonderful  prayer. 

Lawyer  Lucifer  called  up  his  crew, 

Dyer  and  Elderkin,  you  must  come  too. 

Old  Col.  Dyer  you  know  well  enough  ; 
He  had  an  old  negro,  his  name  was  Cuff. 

Now  massa,  says  Cuff,  I'm  now  glad  enough, 

For  what  little  comfort  I  have, 
I  make  it  no  doubt  my  time  is  just  out, 

No  longer  shall  I  be  a  slave. 

As  for  Larabie,  so  guilty  was  he, 
He  durst  not  stir  out  of  the  house  ; 

The  poor  guilty  soul  crept  into  his  hole 
And  there  lay  as  still  as  a  mouse. 

As  for  Jemmy  Flint,  he  began  to  repent, 

For  a  Bible  he  had  never  known, 
His  life  was  so  bad  he'd  give  half  he  had 

To  old  Father  Stoughton  for  one. 


82          THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

Those  armed  men,  they  killed  them, 
And  scalped  about  two  hundred  ; 

Taking,  I  say,  their  lives  away, 

And  then  their  camp  they  plundered. 

Those  lusty  frogs,  they  fought  like  dogs, 
For  which  I  do  commend  them  ; 

But  lost  the  day,  for  want,  I  say, 
Of  weapons  to  defend  them. 

Then  with  a  shout  they  turned  about, 
And  said  we've  now  been  crafty, 

Our  city's  peace  shall  now  increase, 
And  we  shall  dwell  in  safety. 

Home  those  great  men  returned  then, 

Unto  the  town  with  fury, 
And  swore  those  frogs  were  saucy  dogs, 

Before  both  judge  and  jury. 

I  had  this  story  before  me 

Just  as  I  have  writ  it, 
It  being  so  new,  so  strange  and  true, 

I  could  not  well  omit  it. 

Lawyers  I  say,  now  from  this  day, 

Be  honest  in  your  dealing, 
And  never  more  increase  your  store, 

While  you  the  poor  are  killing. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.  83 

For  if  you  do,  I'll  have,  you  know, 

Conscience  again  will  smite  you, 
The  bull-frog  shout  will  ne'er  give  out, 

But  rise  again  and  fight  you. 

Now  Lawyers,  Parsons,  Bull-frogs,  all, 

I  bid  you  each  farewell ; 
And  unto  you  I  loudly  call 

A  better  tale  to  tell. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 


[  The  verses  following  were  published  in  the  "  Boston 
Museum"  in  1851,  and  it  is  supposed  were  written  by  a  native 
of  Windham.] 

THE    BULL-FROG   FIGHT; 

A    BALLAD    OF    THE    OLDEN    TIME. 


A  direful  story  must  I  tell, 

Should  I  at  length  relate 
What  once  a  luckless  town  befell 

In  "  wooden  nutmeg  "  state. 

'Twas  in  the  days  of  old  King  George, 
The  Dutchman,  who  did  reign 

O'er  England,  and  her  colonies, 
And  islands  in  the  main. 

The  Frenchmen,  in  those  troublous  times, 

With  Indian  tribes  did  strive 
To  shoot,  and  scalp,  and  tomahawk, 

And  burn  our  sires  alive. 

And  many  a  village  was  burned  down, 

And  many  a  shot  and  scar 
To  our  forefathers  oft  was  given 

In  the  French  and  Indian  War. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.  85 

But  the  direst  fray  in  all  that  war 

To  shake  King  George's  crown, 
Was  when  the  BULL-FROGS  marched  by  night 

Against  old  Windham  town. 

These  bull-frogs  lived  a  mile  away, 

Beyond  the  eastern  hill, 
Within  a  rich  and  slimy  pond 

That  feeds  an  ancient  mill. 

And  there,  at  night,  their  concerts  loud 

Rolled  up  from  stump  and  bog, 
As  bass  and  treble  swelled  the  throat 

Of  bull  and  heifer  frog. 

But  "  on  a  time  "  the  greedy  sun 

Had  drunk  their  lakelet  dry  ; 
The  reckless  mill  had  drained  it  out, 

With  grinding  corn  and  rye. 

And  they  but  met  an  angry  glare, 

When  they  reproached  the  sun  ; 
Their  bitter  tears  moved  not  a  mill 

Nor  broke  its  heart  of  stone. 

The  drinking  sun  and  mill  had  drained 

A  domain  wide  and  rich 
And  dissipation,  not  their  own 

Brought  the  frogs  to  a  narrow  ditch. 


86          THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

Nature  a  living  owed  to  them  — 

'Twas  very  plain  —  and  yet 
They  watched  in  vain  for  clouds  to  come, 

And  liquidate  the  debt. 

They  often  gasped  and  prayed  for  rain, 

And  she  did  oft  refuse, 
And  each  dark  eve  conviction  brought 

That  she  grudged  them  their  dews. 

At  length,  one  night,  when  human  kind 

In  sleep  had  settled  down, 
They  had  Shetucket  rolling  on, 

Beyond  old  Windham  town. 

The  murmur  of  that  rushing  stream, 

Borne  on  the  western  wind, 
Filled  them  with  frenzy,  and  they  left 

Their  native  pond  behind. 

They  sallied  forth,  a  mighty  host, 
They  swarmed  upon  the  hill 

Beneath  whose  front  the  village  lay, 
In  slumbers  deep  and  still. 

And  now  Shetucket's  gurgling  roar 
Came  freshly  from  the  wood, 

And  maddened  them  with  strong  desire 
To  leap  into  the  flood. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.  87 

They  piped,  and  screamed,  and  bellowed  forth, 

In  accents  loud  and  deep, 
Their  frantic  joy,  and  like  the  ghost 

Of  Banquo,  "  murdered  sleep." 

The  villagers  whose  rest  was  slain 

By  this  advancing  crew, 
Awaked  from  horrid  dreams,  in  fear 

That  they'd  be  murdered  too. 

For  ne'er  did  angry  foemen  raise 

So  loud  and  fierce  a  din  — 
Nor  Scotch,  nor  Dutch,  nor  mad  Malay, 

Nor  ancient  Philistine. 

The  frightful  sounds  were  now  like  yells 

From  painted  savage  grim, 
And  now — more  terrible  than  that  — 

Like  Cromwell's  battle  hymn. 

Then  forth  the  people  rushed,  to  hear 

Those  noises  rend  the  air  ; 
And  some  resolved  to  meet  the  foe, 

Some,  refuge  sought  in  prayer. 

Some  thought  the  judgment  day  at  hand  ; 

But  their  fears  were  banished  quite, 
By  a  funny  black,  who  'clared  'twas  strange 

That  that  day  should  come  in  the  night. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

And  soon  were  gathered  on  the  green, 

Old  Winclham's  valiant  sons, 
Some  armed  with  pitchforks,  rakes,  or  scythes, 

And  some  with  rusty  guns. 

And  there,  in  hurried  council  met, 

They  trembled  and  stood  still, 
To  listen  to  the  cruel  foe 

Who  thundered  from  the  hill. 

The  fiendish  jargon  that  so  loud 

From  throats  discordant  rung, 
They  doubted  not  conveyed  fierce  threats 

In  French  or  Indian  tongue. 

But  how  their  warmest  blood  was  chilled, 

To  hear -the  foe  demand 
The  lives  of  their  best  citizens  — 

Much  noted  in  the  land. 

How  quaked  their  very  souls  with  dread, 

As,  mid  the  grievous  din, 
The  foe,  remorseless,  bellowed  forth 

The  name  of  "  ELDERKIN." 

Their  very  hearts  within  them  died, 

When,  as  the  host  drew  nigher, 
They  heard  resound,  in  guttural  notes, 

The  name  of  "  COLONEL  DYER  !  " 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.          89 

But  fiery  Mars  inspired  a  few, 

Who  stalwart  were  in  frame, 
To  meet  the  enemy  in  fight, 

His  insolence  to  tame. 

They  girded  on  their  armor  strong, 
They  charged  their  guns  with  lead  ; 

Their  friends  gave  them  the  parting  word, 
And  mourned  o'er  them  as  dead. 

And  then  this  gallant  company 

Marched  boldly  up  the  hill, 
Resolved  to  quell  the  raging  foe  — 

His  fevered  blood  to  spill. 

They  reached  the  spot  from  whence  was  heard 

The  fearful  hue  and  cry, 
And,  though  no  murderous  foe  was  seen, 

They  let  their  powder  fly. 

Ensconced  behind  a  granite  wall, 

They  poured  a  leaden  rain 
From  blunderbuss  and  rusty  gun, 

At  random  o'er  the  plain. 

But  strange  to  tell,  the  stupid  foe, 

Returned  no  answering  fire  ; 
They  only  bellowed  louder  still 

The  name  of  Colonel  Dyer ! 


90          THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS. 

And  when  another  volley  spoke, 
And  cut  through  thick  and  thin, 

They  bawled  more  loudly  than  before 
The  name  of  Elderkin  ! 

The  courage  of  the  Windham  men 

Now  rose  exceeding  high, 
And  so  they  blazed  away  till  dawn 

Lit  up  the  eastern  sky. 

The  enemy  dared  not  assail 

This  valiant  band  at  all, 
But  screamed  and  groaned  and  shouted  still, 

Behind  the  granite  wall. 


"Pe-ung,"  "pe-ung,"  "go-row,"  "go-row, 
"Chug,"  "chug,"  "peep,"  "peep,"  and  " 

"  Cease  firing,  boys,"  the  Captain  said, 
"  The  dogs  desire  a  treaty." 

Our  heroes  rested  on  their  arms, 
Till  morning's  light  revealed, 

The  bodies  of  the  prostrate  frogs 
Stretched  out  upon  the  field. 

But  when  they  saw  their  waste  of  shot 

And  fright  had  been  in  vain, 
Some  made  a  solemn  vow  that  they 

Would  ne'er  bear  arms  again. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FROGS.          91 

And  they  all  returned  with  wiser  heads 
To  the  heart  of  Windham  town  ; 

While  the  remnant  of  the  frogs  went  home, 
And  soon  the  rains  came  down. 

And  at  this  day  when  evening  shades 

Envelope  brakes  and  bogs, 
The  tenants  of  that  pond  rehearse 

The  battle  of  the  frogs. 

And  to  this  day,  each  Windhamite 

Unto  his  little  son 
Relates  how  on  a  summer's  night, 

The  BULL-FROG  FIGHT  was  won. 

This  tale  is  true,  and  years  far  hence 

It  must  be  current  still, 
For  bull-frogs  two  are  pictured  on 

Each  current  Windham  bill.*      « 

*See  bills  of  all  denominations  on  the  Windham  (Conn.)  Bank. 


THE  CENTENNIAL 
EXHIBITION  BUILDINGS. 


THE  CENTENNIAL 
EXHIBITION  BUILDINGS. 

BY  BRIGHAM  PAYNE. 


r~l\  H  E  eminent  and  much  lamented 
-*-  HORACE  GREELEY,  on  his  return  to 
America  after  visiting  the  World's  Fair 
at  London  in  1851,  in  an  article  giving 
a  general  summary  of  his  impressions  of 
that  Exhibition  declared  that,  "  the  Crystal 
Palace  remained  to  the  end  the  greatest 
wonder  of  all."  And  such  will  undoubt- 
edly be  the  intelligent  judgment  of  thous- 
ands who  shall  have  visited  our  own 
Centennial  Exhibition  at  Philadelphia,  in 
reference  to  the  wonderful  buildings  within 
whose  walls  so  many  treasures  of  art  and 


96  THE   CENTENNIAL   BUILDINGS. 

science,  industry  and  nature  are  displayed. 
It  cannot  well  be  otherwise  when  we  con- 
sider that  for  beauty  of  design  and  practi- 
cal adaptability  to  the  purposes  required 
they  have  not  been  equaled,  to  say  the 
least,  in  modern  times.  The  cosmopoli- 
tan air  presented  by  them  is  not  the  least 
satisfactory  merit  one  feels  disposed  to  ac- 
knowledge in  them,  while  they  in  every 
aspect  meet  the  advanced,  critical  taste  of 
the  age,  and  at  the  same  time  inspire  the 
beholder  with  a  profound  sense  of  their 
great  magnitude.  Long  after  the  glitter 
and  pleasure  excited  by  special  exhibits 
have  passed  from  memory  it  will  be  found 
that  the  delightful  impressions  made  upon 
the  mind  by  these  imposing  structures 
will  endure,  and  for  a  life  time  with  those 
who  have  become  familiar  with  their 
grandest  lessons. 

With  these  convictions,  and  the  encour- 


THE   CENTENNIAL    BUILDINGS.  97 

agement  of  the  publisher  of  this  volume, 
by  his  liberality  in  furnishing  the  plates  for 
the  beautiful  illustrations  accompanying 
this  article,  we  take  pleasure  in  presenting 
to  the  reader  the  following  descriptive 
memoranda  relating  to  five  of  the  principal 
buildings  to  which  we  have  referred. 

These  buildings  are  located  in  Fair- 
mount  Park,  on  a  plat  of  ground  set  apart 
for  them,  embracing  about  236  acres, 
which  is  beautifully  laid  out  with  well 
paved  avenues  and  walks,  and  adorned 
with  trees,  plants,  and  flowers. 

On  approaching  these  grounds  from 
Philadelphia  proper,  the  first  building 
reached  is  the  Main  Exhibition  Building, 
its  southern  front  bordering  Elm  Ave- 
nue. It  is  in  form  a  parallelogram  1876 
feet  long,  and  464  feet  wide,  covering  an 
area  of  nearly  22  acres.  The  interior 
height  is  70  feet,  the  larger  portion  being 


THE    CENTENNIAL    BUILDINGS.  99 

but  one  story.  On  the  outside  it  is  48 
feet  from  the  ground  to  the  cornice.  At 
each  corner  of  the  building  towers  rise  to 
the  height  of  75  feet;  and  in  the  centre 
at  the  corners  of  an  elevated  portion  of 
the  roof,  184  feet  square,  rise  four  other 
towers  to  the  height  of  1 20  feet.  At  the 
centre  of  the  longer  sides  and  at  the 
ends,  are  projections  respectively  416  feet 
and  216  feet  in  length.  In  these  are 
located  the  main  entrances,  which  are 
provided  with  arcades  upon  the  ground 
floor,  and  central  facades  90  feet  high. 
There  are  also  numerous  side  entrances. 
The  ground  plan  of  the  building  shows 
a  central  avenue  1832  feet  long  and  120 
feet  wide.  On  either  side  of  this  is 
another  avenue  of  equal  length,  100  feet 
wide.  Between  the  central  and  side 
avenues  are  aisles  48  feet  wide,  and  on 
the  outer  sides  of  the  building  smaller 


100  THE   CENTENNIAL    BUILDINGS. 

aisles  of  24  feet  in  width.  Three  transepts 
416  feet  long  cross  the  building,  and  at 
their  intersection  with  the  longitudinal 
avenues  make  nine  spaces,  free  from  sup- 
port, which  are  from  100  to  120  feet  square. 
The  materials  used  in  the  construction  of 
the  building,  are  iron,  glass,  and  wood ; 
and  the  interior  walls  and  roof  are 
tastefully  decorated ;  the  exterior  is  also 
embellished  and  ornamented  with  pilasters, 
appropriate  cornice  and  other  architectural 
decorations.  Considered  as  a  whole,  or 
in  detail,  it  is  a  structure  eminently  pleas- 
ing to  the  eye  and  understanding,  and  one 
could  but  wish  that  it  might  be  permitted 
to  remain,  a  perpetual  token  of  the  great 
exhibition  it  so  fitly  distinguishes. 

Westward  550  feet  from  the  Main 
Building,  with  its  north  front  on  the  same 
line,  and  with  its  annexes  also  bordering 
Elm  Avenue,  comes  Machinery  Hall. 


102  THE   CENTENNIAL    BUILDINGS. 

This  building  is  really  a  continuation 
of  the  Main  edifice,  being  in  its  general 
features  a  type  of  it,  constructed  of  the 
same  kinds  of  material,  with  correspond- 
ing: ornamentations.  It  is  also  an  immense 

o 

parallelogram  1,402  feet  long,  and  360 
feet  wide.  With  its  annexes  it  covers 
about  15  acres  of  ground.  The  greater 
portion  of  the  building  is  one  story  high, 
the  principal  cornice  outside  being  40 
feet  from  the  ground,  the  interior  height 
varying  from  40  feet  to  70  feet  as  meas- 
ured respectively  from  the  aisles  and 
aventies.  On  each  of  the  four  sides  are 
projections,  and  the  main  entrances  are 
finished  with  facades  78  feet  high.  The 
ground-plan  of  the  Hall  shows  two  main 
avenues  90  feet  wide,  with  a  central 
aisle  between,  and  an  aisle  on  either  side 
60  feet  wide.  Each  of  these  avenues 
and  aisles  is  1,360  feet  long.  At  the 


THE    CENTENNIAL    BUILDINGS.  103 

center  of  the  building  is  a  transept  90 
feet  wide  ;  at  the  point  of  its  intersection 
of  the  middle  aisle  is  located  the  1,400 
horse-power  Corliss  Engine  employed  in 
driving  the  shafting  to  which  is  attached 

o  o 

all  the  machinery  requiring  power,  thus 
saving  action  and  life  to  mechanical 

O  O 

devices  from  nearly  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth,  with  a  harmony  which  the 
various  civilized  people  of  the  world  may 
well  aspire  to  imitate  in  inter-communica- 
tion and  fraternal  concord. 

The  third  building,  and  next  in  impor- 
tance, is  Memorial  Hall.  It  is  located 
north  of  the  Main  edifice,  and  nearest 
to  .its  eastern  extremity.  It  is,  architect- 
urally viewed,  the  most  pretentious  and 
ornate  of  all  the  Exhibition  buildings. 
It  was  erected  conjointly  by  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania  and  City  of  Philadelphia, 
at  a  cost  of  $1,500,000,  and  is  to  remain 


THE    CENTENNIAL    BUILDINGS.  105 

a  permanency  for  the  object  its  name 
implies.  It  is  designed  in  the  modern 
Renaissance  style,  and  is  surmounted  by 
a  dome  1 50  feet  in  height,  from  the  top  of 
which  rises  a  colossal  figure  of  Columbia. 
It  is  365  feet  long,  and  210  feet  wide. 
The  frieze  around  the  entire  building, 
and  also  all  of  its  ornamentations,  are 
tasteful  and  elaborate,  and  approach 
grandeur  in  places.  The  main  entrance 
consists  of  three  enormous  arched  door- 
ways, each  40  feet  high  and  18  feet 
wide.  Clusters  of  columns,  crowned  with 
designs  emblematic  of  Art  and  Science, 
fill  the  spaces  between  these  arches,  and 
the  massive  doors  of  iron  are  relieved 
by  bronze  panels  displaying  the  coats-of- 
arms  of  all  the  States  and  Territories  of 
the  Republic.  At  the  base  of  the  dome 
on  the  meridian  angles  are  colossal 
figures  representing  the  four  quarters  of 


106  THE   CENTENNIAL    BUILDINGS. 

the  globe ;  while  four  immense  cast-iron 
eagles  with  wings  outstretched  cover  the 
four  angles  of  each  corner  pavilion.  The 
ground-plan  of  the  building  shows  numer- 
ous extensive  quadrilateral  halls  and 
galleries,  varying  in  size  and  height, 
furnishing  75,000  square  feet  of  wall- 
space  for  the  display  of  pictures,  and 
and  20,000  square  feet  of  floor — space 
for  statuary.  It  is  a  structure,  as  a  whole, 
calculated  to  impress  the  beholder  with 
a  feeling  of  earnest  admiration,  and  is 
destined  to  become  a  shrine  for  devotees 
of  Art  and  patrons  of  the  beautiful. 

Horticultural  .Hall  stands  north  of 
Memorial  Hall,  and  is  also  intended  as 
a  permanent  feature  of  interest  in  Fair- 
mount  Park.  It  is  in  the  Moresque  style 
of  architecture.  The  chief  materials  used 
in  its  construction  are  iron  and  glass, 
supported  by  marble  and  brick-work. 


108  THE   CENTENNIAL    BUILDINGS. 

Decorated  with  polychrome  frescoes  and 
arabesques  in  the  Moorish  style,  its 
appearance  is  decidedly  charming,  and 
affords  a  delightful 'contrast  to  the  sober 
dignity  imparted  by  the  other  buildings. 
The  principal  floor  is  occupied  by  the 
main  conservatory,  while  on  the  north 
and  south  sides,  respectively,  are  two 
forcing-houses  for  the  propagation  of 
young  plants,  covered  by  curved  roofs 
of  iron  and  glass  Which  give  grace  of 
contour  to  the  exterior  of  the  building. 
The  building  is  383  feet  long  by  193 
feet  wide,  and  72  feet  in  height.  From 
its  western  entrance,  ascending  one  flight 
of  stairs,  is  reached  a  gallery  which  com- 
municates with  the  promenade  extending 
entirely  around  the  outside  of  the  building, 
from  which  picturesque  views  of  the 
Schuylkill  river  and  Exhibition  grounds 
can  be  obtained. 


THE   CENTENNIAL    BUILDINGS.  109 

Northward  from  Horticultural  Hall 
stands  Agricultural  Hall,  the  last  although 
not  the  least  in  interest  and  utility,  of 
the  great  buildings  under  consideration. 
Possessing  characteristics  peculiarly  its 
own,  it  may  be  said  to  belong  to  no 
decided  style  extant,  and  as  Bayard  Tay- 
lor says,  "is  indescribable."  It  consists 
of  a  nave  826  feet  long,  with  three 
transepts  crossing  it  at  right  angles,  each 
of  which  is  540  feet  long.  The  nave 
and  transepts  are  formed  by  a  frame- 
work of  acutely  pointed  Gothic  arches  of 
wood.  Looking  from  transept  to  transept 
the  view  reminds  one  of  an  immense 
Gothic  Cathedral,  and  with  its  lofty  and 
imposing  air  imparts  an  emotion  of  invol- 
untary satisfaction.  Viewed  exteriorly, 
the  beauty  of  its  arching  outlines  will 
be  a  welcome  relief  from  the  common 
right-angle  lines  of  ordinary  structures, 


THE   CENTENNIAL    BUILDINGS.  Ill 

to  those  who  have  comprehended  their 
elegance,  and  feasted  upon  the  wonders 
of  its  exhibits. 

And  so  will  all  the  recollections  of 
these  buildings  gladden  the  heart  of  every 
lover  of  art  and  admirer  of  true  enterprise 
in  the  development  of  material  things, 
and  the  successful  organization  and  per- 
fect triumph  of  the  great  display  will  be 
a  hallowed  memory  and  a  world-wide 
glory  to  every  individual  American. 


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